Soccer On TV

Back To The Dark Ages

Remember when you couldn't see a soccer match in the States without a complex array of parking lot-sized satellite dishes?  EPL games were seen a day or a week after the fact, and forget ever seeing Champion's League (well, Cup Winners Cup, then) or La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A and so on.

Well, the last few gravy-laden years of soccer viewing in the U.S. led by Fox and ESPN (as well as "findable" Univision/Galavision/GolTV) are, evidently, over.

This article on ESPN's website hints at dark days ahead...football fans in the U.S. best prepare to get hooked up to every service they can find.  But it does auger well for our own MLS:  This webpage shows you how to get virtually every MLS game played in a season.

As the league has quietly made money and grown steadily over the past 10 years, perhaps this is what US domestic soccer needs most.  A complex, expensive and short-sighted TV arrangement for the European leagues.  And let's be honest, while the big clubs in England make a ton of money in the U.S., the rest of the would-be leagues never got a foothold.  If they end up on some Al-Jazeera second channel via dish only, well, they never will.  But the media blackout that would cause might encourage a few more spectators to start accessing MLS matches just because they are "around the corner."

Greetings PA!

A Quick (HA!) Introduction

On the Kennebec River in Bath, ME
With my main man, Sam.

I am excited to be on the Main Line, just north of Philly, and as August settles in and the football year begins, I wanted to put a little bit of a biography for the new pals I'll be making in PA.

The broad strokes are these:

Schools/Playing Days
I was born in Maine, lived near Bath (home of the finest American shipbuilding tradition; our museum proves it) in a town called Arrowsic (pop ~500).  I began playing soccer around age 5, and never looked back.  After a more-so-than-usual poor academic performance in my

EPL

Chelsea V. Manchester City: 2-3

Ivanovich & Co. Appear Little Changed

With his straight red card sending-off, Ivanovich (one of my least favorite players, I must fully disclose) contributed disproportionately to Chelsea's demise in the FA's Charity Shield match, a one-game meeting the week prior to EPL league play which matches up the FA Cup winner and the EPL champion.  There was, in addition to Ivanovich's studs-up infraction, very little that was charitable about the match.  A fistful of cards decorated the game, and Chelsea appeared petulant in their defending - though City put in their share of foolish/cynical challenges.

To let bygones be bygones, we might ascribe the reckless nature of the game to early season rustiness - but we certainly saw goals that bespoke mid-season accuracy!

The main storyline coming out of the match must be that Robert Di Matteo has effected less change than hoped over the off-season.  Once up 1-0 through Torres (more signs of life...) despite being pushed to the brink by the potent City attack, it looked like a classic 2011-12, second half of the season Chelsea performance; get beaten in every category save the one that matters!  But, a defense that could bend under City's attacks had to break once Ivanovich was sent off.  Despite a consolation goal, the 3-2 result was a safe one for City, and that Tevez scored a laser of a shot from the 18 ought to send chills down some spines in Old Trafford - recall Sir Alex mocking City, and Tevez last season.  Toure Yaya hitting a impressive shot as well from a higher position on the field will give opposing managers some things to think about as well...an offense that was impossible to stop last season appears to be even hotter to the touch this season.  Sleepless nights are ahead!

So, what will Chelsea give us this year?  Bend but don't break, or does Di Matteo have some grander plans in order?  It seems reasonable to think that the Chelsea brass and fans will demand more than the highly defensive (negative?) approach used last season.  Man City, for their part, have thrown the gauntlet down (though not so emphatically as to quash all discussion) and remain in championship form, evidently ready to repel all comers.

USA GOLD
Sweet Revenge

The US 4-4-2 (4-4-1-1?) against the Japanese 4-4-2.  Formations
mattered less than execution in this game- and maybe luck!

Thursday's women's gold medal game was a taught affair, despite a 7th minute goal by Carli Lloyd.  Some notes from the game:

Amy Leipelbet is the weak link.  Team USA (men's and women's) continues to struggle to find backs who can get it done at the top level.  Japan was wise, and so often a hair's breadth from successful, in their attention on the right side of the US defense.  Nearly every attack of any note was originated on Liepelbet's side.  Granted, she did enough to not give away the game, but it was touch and go the entire 90 minutes.

Rachel Buehler struggled as well, looking nervous and uncertain with the ball at her feet.  It was a blue collar performance, with

LMSC Opening Post

Quick Boys And Springboks Open 2012-13

A few training sessions in to the new season, and things are beginning to settle in nicely.

Key points have been to introduce the expectations for the players, mainly in terms of their conduct at training, and to establish a degree of comfort around the training ground for the players.  Uncertainty does not bring out the best in a kid, so the goal is mainly to be very clear about what is expected in terms of effort and behavior, what is meant by certain language, and the general pattern of training sessions.

Games V. Training

Fatigue, Effort And Skill
Why The Game Still Looks Good When The Players Are Tired

Coming off July's highly successful ID camp at Colgate one sequence of events has remained in the forefront of my mind.  In my quest to bring some degree of reason to the results-oriented approach to youth soccer, something stuck out at camp that lends some further weight to that argument.  The selection of the "all-star" groups was heavily lopsided.  Upon reflection, the schedule is a huge factor:  The campers checked in on Monday at midday.  They trained that afternoon, and began playing games after dinner.  All day Tuesday & Wednesday (including 6.30 AM "futures" matches...7 v. 7 all-star games, basically), then a final match Thursday AM wrapped the week up.

OSSC Strides

4 OSSC Boys Impress 

At Northeast Elite ID Camp At Colgate

Thoughts For Players Seeking To Play College Soccer

Camp info here.

Ryan Tudi, Elijah Morris, Dan Keck and Sam Caton jumped in the deep end of the college recruiting pool, and proved their quality (as well as highlighting the results of considerable efforts put forth over the past several years) among a very talented group of ambitious college soccer hopefuls.  The three day overnight camp at Colgate featured several groups of players; the Hobart College and Colgate University "Futures," or players who will be attending those two institutions this fall.  Then there were the previously-identified 2013 grads the coaches have been recruiting for some time prior to camp.  Then the general population, campers who sought the attention of the coaches in attendance.  For perspective's sake, the college players working the camp as counselors also served as competition for several games against a wide mix of both futures and general campers/all-stars.  These matches gave the campers a very good first-hand glimpse of what the top DIII and DI levels look like, and the coaches an excellent reference point when evaluating the players they were interested in.